Yankees Expected to Re-Sign Juan Soto with $600M-Plus Mega-Deal
The “Juan Soto sweepstakes” are dominating baseball headlines, and for good reason. It’s rare to see a 26-year-old generational talent hit free agency before his prime.
Soto has already held in-person meetings with the Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, Toronto Blue Jays, New York Mets, and New York Yankees. He’s also scheduled to meet with the Philadelphia Phillies soon.
ESPN’s Jesse Rogers recently surveyed 18 MLB executives and insiders about Soto’s free agency. Among the questions were predictions on where he would sign and whether his contract would exceed $600 million.
The results were intriguing: 11 votes projected a $600 million-plus contract, while seven predicted a smaller deal. Additionally, 12 respondents believed Soto would sign with the Yankees, four predicted the Mets, and two favored the Blue Jays.
The reasoning was straightforward: The Steinbrenner family rarely loses bidding wars for their stars.
“A common belief from our respondents was that the Yankees will match (or come close enough to matching) any number agent Scott Boras brings them to keep Soto in pinstripes,” Rogers wrote. “The Yankees don’t let stars walk. That happens to other teams.”
Weeks ago, I predicted Soto would sign with the Yankees for $630 million to $675 million. While I don’t foresee his deal hitting $700 million, it would be incredible if it did start with a “seven.”